


Maybe they're born with it, maybe it's Maybelline

by whenihavetime



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Catradora Family, Despite the shitpost title this is lowkey heavy, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family Feels, Glimbow family as a treat, I wish they had an official character tag lol, May or may not be influenced by personal experiences as someone who doesn't look like a parent, Multi, where are all my Finn fics at?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-26
Updated: 2020-06-26
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:29:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24853120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whenihavetime/pseuds/whenihavetime
Summary: “Finn.”They didn’t want this to turn into a thing.“Finn, what’s wrong?”They didn’t want this to turn into a thing.“Sweetie, please, talk to us.”“So, everyone will know!” Finn exploded.ORFinn is a rambunctious child who loves their moms and wants everyone to know it.
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Bow/Glimmer (She-Ra)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 261





	Maybe they're born with it, maybe it's Maybelline

**Author's Note:**

> Inspiration from what Noelle said in her and Molly’s livestream about the possibility of Finn dyeing their hair blond to “connect to their white mom’s heritage.”

This early in the morning, the grand halls of Bright Moon were silent, aside from the soft pitter patter of bare feet on marble floors. It would be at least another hour before anyone else awakened. Which was why Finn hurried their way up to their room, clutching a small bag to their chest. They would be in so much trouble if they were caught sneaking out (again), but it was for a good cause this time! And, it’s not Finn’s fault the Bright Moon guards were lousy at their jobs. Decades of peacetime will do that to a person. 

Even at ten years old, Finn could easily evade the patrols. Their mothers? Not so much. Mom’s keen sense of hearing and smell made it trickier to pull one over on her, and Momma had this “motherly intuition,” as she called it, that told her whenever Finn was up to something. Ergo, the early morning adventure. Auncle DT had rolled their eyes but also applauded their desire for theatrics. 

Finn arrived at their room and quickly ran to the connected bathroom, locking the door behind. Hopefully, Aunt Glimmer wouldn’t decide to teleport in unannounced. 

Finn placed the bag on the sink. They stared for a moment before reaching in and taking out their prize. A small, round container barely larger than their palm. Ok, less than an hour before their moms were awake. Time to get to work.

* * *

“Has anyone seen Finn?” Aunt Adora asked, as she sat at the table with a plate stacked high with food. 

Angella never understood where she put all that. Aunt Catra shrugged in the seat next to her wife, who took on a mildly worried expression.

“They’re not usually this late to breakfast.” 

Aunt Catra chuckled, “Yeah, they get their appetite from you.”

“What if something happened? What if they’re sick?” A gasp. “What if someone kidnapped them?!” 

“Wouldn’t it be _cat_ -napped?” Dad said mostly to himself, to which Aunt Catra groaned. His jokes were sounding more like her grandads’ every day. 

“Adora,” Mom said from across the table. “I’m sure Finn is fine. They’re probably just sleeping in. They’re almost a preteen, y’know. That’s when their sleep schedules get all screwy. Remember Angella used to sleep until noon–”

“Mom!” the person in question exclaimed. “Please don’t start on another story.”

Angella felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment. She was fourteen for stars’ sake! Her parents began fighting in the rebellion when they were around her age, yet they still treated her like she was a toddler. 

“Aw, but your bed head was so _cute!_ ” Dad squealed, and Angella barely dodged a hand moving to ruffle her pink curls. 

Aunt Adora still looked antsy. Aunt Catra placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, which helped calm her a bit. 

“I can go check on them if that’ll put you at ease,” the magicat suggested. 

She rose from her chair to do just that when the sound of the door drew her attention. 

“Well, speak of the...” Aunt Catra trailed off.

Angella was sitting with her back to the entrance, but the reactions of the adults around her told her something was wrong. Aunt Catra’s eyes widened to the size of saucers with her hand frozen in a half-hearted gesture to the door. Aunt Adora was choking on a piece of pancake. Mom had her jaw practically _in_ her pancakes. And, Dad let out a high-pitched squeak that could shatter glass. If Angella had her holopad, she would’ve taken a photo. 

Footsteps approached, and the chair beside her was pulled back, the legs dragging against the floor. Angella turned to see a head of messy hair plop down next to her.

A head of _blond_ hair. 

Blond hair that belonged to Finn, who last she checked, had very dark brown hair. But, not anymore? Her best friend now sported a bright blond color even lighter than Aunt Adora’s. It looked closer to She-Ra’s. Finn acted like nothing was out of the ordinary and served themselves food, while everyone else stared. 

Aunt Catra was the first to break out of their collective stupor. As she handed her hacking wife a glass of water, she casually said, “Good morning, Finn.”

Without looking up from their plate. “Morning, Mom.” 

“Anything interesting happen recently?”

A shrug.

“You got any plans for today?”

Another shrug. 

“I’m visiting Scorpia today if you want to come along. I know Flora would love to see you.”

“Ok.” 

By then, Aunt Adora was no longer dying and with the greatest of tact yelled, “Your hair!” 

Finn’s ears flattened. “What about it?”

Aunt Adora stammered, “It’s– it’s–”

“So cool!” Angella finished. 

Finn smiled at that. While quite a shock at first, the striking color complemented their bright blue eyes. Angella wondered if she would ever dye her own hair. 

“What, uh, what brought this on?” Aunt Catra asked. 

Finn went back to shrugging. “Felt like it.” 

“But, why?!” Aunt Adora leaned over the table, as though proximity to Finn would reveal their secrets. “And, who dyed it?!” 

Finn crossed their arms, unable to maintain their aloofness any longer. “I just wanted to, okay? And, I did it myself. It wasn’t that hard.” 

Aunt Catra raised an eyebrow. “Where did you get the dye?”

Angella watched Finn slouch a little, looking guilty. Uh oh, busted. 

Mom cleared her throat. “Well,” she announced in an abnormally jolly tone. “I think it’s time for some family bonding time. Isn’t that right, Bow?”

“What about breakfast?” Dad asked, slightly disappointed.

“Family bonding time!” Mom forced out again.

_Subtle, Mom._

She stood so quickly that her chair almost fell over. She grabbed both Dad’s and Angella's hands and teleported them to the other side of the castle. It appeared Angella would be in for yet another day of board games where she and Mom competed on who could yell the loudest while Dad just tried to befriend everyone. It never ended well for him. She just hoped Finn wouldn't get in too much trouble.

* * *

As soon as they were left alone, Finn knew this would turn into a thing, which was exactly what they wanted to avoid. 

“You snuck out again,” Mom stated, not even bothering to phrase it as a question. 

They didn’t justify that with a response.

“Finn,” she said exasperated. “Wandering the Whispering Woods alone is dangerous.”

“I didn’t go into the Whispering Woods…” A look from Mom. “That far.”

“Finn!”

“And, I wasn’t alone. I went there to meet with Auncle DT.”

Momma sighed, “We’ll have to have a talk with them too then.” 

“So, what?” Mom said. “You sneak out at the crack of dawn to get some hair dye from Double Trouble, who you somehow convinced to purchase said dye, just because you ‘felt like it’?” 

“Yes.”

“Finn,” Mom’s voice was firm but never harsh. “Is that all?”

“ _Yes._ ” 

They thought if they said it with enough conviction, their moms would conveniently drop it. It was just their rotten luck they had two of the most stubborn people on the planet as parents. That only went to show how much they passed on to Finn. What happened when an unstoppable force met an immovable object? They got married.

Momma prodded, “I may not be the best actor–” Both Finn and Mom rolled their eyes. “–but even I recognize a lie when I see one.” 

“Oh, so you’re calling me a liar now?”

“No, of course not! We just want to understand.” 

“There’s nothing to understand. What’s next? Will I get in trouble every time I change my outfit?”

“The hair dye doesn’t matter to us. It’s the way you went about it. You know we’re only looking out for your safety, right?” Momma was visibly growing upset.

Finn scoffed, “So, that’s why you’re giving me the third degree.”

“Don’t use that tone with your mother,” Mom snapped.

“Not like anyone else sees her that way,” they muttered under their breath.

“What was that?” Mom’s tail was flicking behind her now. 

“Nothing.”

“Finn, please,” Momma said, the little crease between her eyebrows deepening. “You can tell us anything.” 

It was all too much. Finn was dumb to think this wouldn’t turn into a thing. They stared at their mothers across the table. Mom’s mismatched eyes were showing signs of defensive annoyance, egged on by her wife’s distress. Finn couldn’t hold her gaze, so they shifted to look at Momma, whose expression was open and pleading. That was worse. They decided to look down at the table. 

“Finn.”

They didn’t want this to turn into a thing.

“Finn, what’s wrong?”

_They didn’t want this to turn into a thing._

“Sweetie, please, talk to us.”

“So, everyone will know!” Finn exploded.

Silence. Mom blinked a couple times. 

“Know what?” Mom asked, gentler now.

Finn felt the prickling of tears in the corner of their eyes, so they resolutely continued to glare at their plate of uneaten eggs. What they would give for Aunt Glimmer’s teleportation. A gentle touch to their hand startled Finn. They raised their head to look into their mom’s grey-blue eyes, swimming with concern. They didn’t even realize she had gotten up from her seat to kneel down next to them. 

“Know what, Finn?” Momma asked.

They took a deep breath. “I know I don’t look like Momma.” 

The two adults froze.

“Angella, Flora, the kids in my class, everyone looks like both of their parents, but I mostly look like Momma.” 

“Finn…” Momma’s voice was thick with an emotion Finn couldn’t pinpoint. 

“Everytime I make a new friend, they don’t believe Momma is my momma. They think I’m making it up just because you’re She-Ra and I want attention. No one believed me!” The tears were free flowing at this point to match the words falling out of their mouth. “So, I got Auncle DT to buy the dye, and I snuck out to get it, and I dyed my hair to be like yours. That’ll show everyone that you’re my Momma. I’m not a liar! I’m not!” 

“Oh, sweetie,” Momma cooed and opened her arms wide.

Finn didn’t hesitate to collapse into her embrace, knocking them both to the floor. They burrowed their face into Momma’s chest like they used to do as a kitten during thunderstorms. Their tears formed a wet patch on her shirt. They always enjoyed Momma’s hugs, her strong and steady presence. A hand on their back indicated Mom had come around the table to join them. She pressed closer and leaned her forehead against the back of their head, a low purring sending comforting vibrations throughout their body. Her tail wrapped around her wife and her child. 

Finn hiccupped past a sob, “I’m not a liar.”

“We know,” Mom hummed, as she rubbed soothing circles into their back. “We know.” 

Finn sat sandwiched between their moms until their sobs died down to sniffles. 

“I’m sorry I got angry,” they murmured. 

Momma let go of them in order to look them in the eye. She brought a hand to their cheek and wiped the remaining tears. Her smile was kind, but Finn could still sense a deep hurt. They caused that. A pang ran through their chest. 

“We know you didn’t mean it,” Momma assured. “But…” 

Finn’s ears lowered.

“But,” Mom continued. “What you did was dangerous. What if something happened to you? It’s our job as your mothers to look out for you.”

“And, we _are_ your moms.”

Mom nodded. “Both of us. Doesn’t matter what anyone else says.”

Finn sniffed and curled their tail around themselves. “I just wanted everyone to know how proud I am to have you as my moms.”

Mom and Momma smiled at that. Then, Momma’s face grew serious again. 

“If you ever feel overwhelmed like that again, you can always talk to us. If not us, then maybe Auncle DT. Or, Aunt Glimmer and Uncle Bow. It’s not good to keep things bottled up inside.”

“Trust me,” Mom said ruefully. “It may feel better at first, but it does _not_ work long-term.” 

Momma elbowed her lightheartedly. “What your Mom means is it’s better to address these things sooner rather than later. Okay?”

Finn nodded. “Okay, I promise.” 

They all knew the weight behind that word. Momma smiled and drew her family into another crushing hug. 

She hummed, “Your Mom and I talked a lot to each other, but sometimes one or both of us needed outside help too.”

“Yeah, Perfuma makes for a great listener,” Mom agreed.

“Was this during the war?” Finn asked, a glint returning to their eyes. They always loved stories about their moms fighting bad guys.

“Well, a little at the end there,” Momma chuckled. “But, it took years after that to sort through a lot of stuff.” 

“And, it was well worth it,” Mom said, looking at her wife with the most tender of gazes. 

Finn glanced between the two of them. They were doing that thing again where they stared lovingly into each other's eyes and forgot everyone else in the room. Not that Finn minded. Not many could say their parents’ love saved the Universe. Finn’s grumbling stomach broke the silence. They grinned sheepishly up at their moms, who were blinking at them as though just remembering they were in the middle of a conversation. 

Mom came to her senses first. “Heh, well, considering breakfast is cold by now, what do you think about a trip to the bakery in town? It opens in twenty minutes.”

Finn gasped, “We’d get first pick of the cinnamon rolls.”

“You two and your sweet tooth, I swear,” Momma said without any real heat. 

Mom stuck out her tongue. 

“Can we go? Can we go? Please?” Finn’s tail started lashing wildly in excitement.

“Hmm,” Momma pretended to think about it. Her face scrunched up.

Mom rolled her eyes, and Finn pounced from their spot on her lap to cling around her shoulders. Momma couldn’t keep herself from laughing and retaliated by tickling their sides.

“All right, all right, let’s go,” Momma wheezed through both of their laughter. 

“Yes!” 

“C’mon,” Mom said, rising to her feet. “I’ll go get Melog and meet you at the gates.”

Momma stood as well, offering Finn a helping hand. They placed their small hand into her calloused one. Momma’s hands were strong, just like she was, but they held so much love. Finn continued to hold on after they pulled themselves up. 

“Sounds like a plan,” Momma said and gave her wife a peck before she went off to find Melog, her ponytail bouncing behind her. 

Meanwhile, Finn was practically dragging their momma to the door, imagining the smell of cinnamon rolls already.

She laughed, “Okay, okay, I’m coming. We still have plenty of time.”

“Not at this rate,” they teased. A pause. “I love you, Momma.”

“I love you too,” Momma replied, the hurt from before long gone. Then, softer, “And, hey.” They looked back at her. “The blond looks good on you.”

Finn’s smile lasted the rest of the day.

**Author's Note:**

> Finn: *walks in with newly dyed hair*  
> Catra: Um... whatcha got there?  
> Finn: A smoothie.


End file.
